A beacon, such as a Bluetooth™ beacon, is a transmitter that sends signals which may be received by a mobile device, such as a smart phone or tablet computer, when the mobile device is in close proximity to the beacon. Beacons may provide location-specific information to the mobile device and may be useful in number of commercial and retail situations. Conventional beacon technology, however, suffers from a number of drawbacks.
For example, conventional beacons are generally battery powered, and may only transmit infrequently due to power constraints. Infrequent transmission may lead to “dead spots” and low “time on” characteristics. This behavior may cause latency, which can result in the mobile device failing to properly receive information from the beacon due to movement of the mobile device since the last transmission.
Beacons are generally stand-alone devices that provide one-way communication from the beacon to the mobile device. In environments having multiple beacons in close proximity, the mobile device may have difficulty determining which beacon signal should be used. This can result in the mobile device being unable to accurately determine its location. Thus, conventional beacons are not well suited to many applications requiring mobile devices to determine their location, or to applications such as building management that requires automation and networking of multiple beacons.
Thus, improved systems, methods, and computer program products for determining the location of a mobile device using beacons are needed, particularly in environments where there are multiple beacons in close proximity.